Parliament Question: Participation in One Health Mission

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2081 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.12.2025 Participation in One Health Mission †2081. Dr. Shivaji Bandappa Kalge:

Shri Bhumare Sandipanrao Asaram:

Shri Gyaneshwar Patil:

Smt. Delkar Kalaben Mohanbhai:

Will the Minister of AYUSH be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is actively participating in the National One Health Mission and related initiatives, if so, the details thereof;

(b) the details of the specific contributions or programmes launched by the Government under the framework of One Health Mission in the country, State/ UT- wise particularly in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Dadra and Nagar Haveli;

(c) whether the Government has collaborated with other stakeholders like the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and State Health Departments in implementing the initiatives to be taken under the One Health Mission, if so, the details thereof; and

(d) the details of other steps taken by the Government to address health challenges at the human-animal- ecological interface, State/ UT- wise? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF AYUSH (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV)

(a) Yes, the Government of India is actively participating in the National One Health Mission (NOHM). The Mission was established on the recommendation of the 21st Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC), withCabinet approval in February 2024. The Mission is being steered by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) to the Government of India and involves more than 16 Central Ministries/Departments including Ministry of Ayush. The Department of Health Research (DHR)/Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) serves as the implementing agency. Further details can be accessed on https://www.psa.gov.in/oneHealthMission.

(b) As per inputs from OPSA and ICMR, the first State/ UT engagement workshop was conducted on 9th June 2025 at New Delhi which saw participation from 27 States/ UTs including participation from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, Maharashtra is also among the states where early surveillance and integrated One Health pilot activities are being undertaken. Several studies have been funded in various institutes and sites across Maharashtra under the National One Health Mission, supporting research, surveillance and capacity-building efforts in the state. Some of the various key initiatives include

1. Creation of institutional structures and governance for One Health implementation: establishment of a dedicated national-level institute (National Institute of One Health, Nagpur) to coordinate surveillance, research, and outbreak response across the country

2. Establishment of high-containment laboratory network (BSL-3 / BSL-4 labs):

Institutions in Maharashtra form part of the national BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratory network, contributing to high-containment diagnostics and advanced pathogen detection.

3. Bird-human interface surveillance in sanctuaries and wetlands: a major study has been implemented (2025) in selected bird sanctuaries and wetlands across states including Maharashtra to enable early detection of high-risk avian pathogens.

The State/UT-wise details of programmes and activities undertaken under the National One Health Mission are available on the One Health Mission Dashboard hosted by the OPSA to the Government of India. These can be accessed on the official website of the PSA:

https://www.psa.gov.in/oneHealthDashboard.

(c) Yes, the Government has established collaborations with key stakeholders, including the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the National Centre for Disease Control

(NCDC), State Health Departments, the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying and other relevant institutions, to implement initiatives under the National One Health Mission.

Further details are available on https://www.psa.gov.in/oneHealthMission.(d) As per the inputs from OPSA, in addition to the activities under the National One Health Mission, the Government has taken several steps to address health challenges at the human–animal–ecological interface in the country. The anchor institution for the National One Health Mission, the National Institute for One Health (NIOH), is being established in Nagpur, Maharashtra, as approved under the Mission. Under NOHM, several surveillance pilots have been launched by ICMR/DHR in collaboration with other participating ministries/

departments such as:

1. Model Surveillance Projects at the animal-human interface are being conducted.

2. Wastewater Surveillance is utilized for tracking Antimicrobial Resistance

(AMR).

3. Syndromic Surveillance is in place to monitor infectious diseases.

4. Surveillance in Slaughterhouses

5. Surveillance in Bird Sanctuaries

Other Activities initiated under program:

1. A network of 23 Bio-Safety Level (BSL) -3 labs has been set up.

2. Creation of the National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) composed of experts from human health, animal husbandry and wildlife sectors for disease outbreak investigation.

3. In efforts towards pandemic preparedness, a comprehensive national mock drill, Vishanu Yuddh Abhyas (VYA) was also conducted in Ajmer district of Rajasthan state, from August 27 to August 31, 2024. Another large-scale mock drill titled “Vishanu Sankraman Pratirodh Abhyas” was conducted in Khandwa District, Madhya Pradesh from November 2–5, 2025. The exercise aimed to assess India’s pandemic preparedness and intersectoral coordination in managing zoonotic disease outbreaks.

4. First State/ UT engagement workshop conducted in June 2025.

5. The National One Health Assembly 2025 held in New Delhi in November 2025 Ayush sector–related initiatives contributing to One Health priorities:

1. Ministry of Ayush promotes rational, non-antibiotic treatment options where appropriate, indirectly supporting AMR reduction-a core One Health priority. Ayush research councils have undertaken research studies related to AMR, immunomodulation and vector-borne diseases.2. Further, the Ayush Vertical, DGHS has released public-health advisories on Monkeypox and Heat Wave in collaboration with the NCDC for dissemination to States and UTs.

The State/UT- wise details of the steps taken by the Government to address the health challenges at the human-animal-ecological interface are available on

https://www.psa.gov.in/oneHealthDashboard. ********